Review by mals_reads - Blood Over Bright Haven

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mals_reads 's review for:

Blood Over Bright Haven by M.L. Wang

4.5

adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Oh, this was exceptional. Fantastic pacing, Wang was so punchy with every major event that occurred in this standalone (and what a standalone!). I love messy, flawed characters, and both of our main characters fit the bill (one moreso than the other). I was drawn in immediately by both of them, and Wang maintained my attention with unrelenting twists and an awesome magic system.

My only gripe is that I wish Thomil had a bit more of an influence in the finality of the story. I think what Wang wrote re: Sciona's character development and the final few chapters could be taken in a white knight direction even though it makes the most sense in the story given Thomil's status in the community, but I enjoyed the brief glimpse of the "after" we get.

Given the patriarchal system in Bright Haven, I would have loved to see some more gender exploration there! I wouldn't be opposed to exploring a different, maybe gender non-conforming character in this same world in the future!

Content Warnings